The two Senators teammates become rivals on Saturday as Canada and Finland battle for a spot in the gold medal final.
When Canada meets Finland in the semifinal of the 2026 World Hockey Championships at Swiss Life Arena, a pair of Ottawa Senators teammates will have to put friendship on hold for a few hours.
Canadian defenseman Dylan Cozens will be butting heads with Finnish defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo on Saturday afternoon (2 pm Eastern, TSN), with the winner heading to the gold medal final against Switzerland.
Canada shut out the United States 4-0 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals, with Jet Greaves making 34 saves. Captain Macklin Celebrini and Dylan Holloway both scored, with former Senator Connor Brown and Sidney Crosby adding empty-net goals late in regulation. Mark Scheifele had two assists in the quarterfinal win.
Cozens chipped in with an assist and now has 7 points in 8 games at the tournament.
Matinpalo helped Finland reach the semis with a 4-1 win over Czechia on Thursday. Sakari Manninen, Anton Lundell, Konsta Helenius, and Lenni Hameenaho scored for the Finns, while Justus Annunen made 25 saves. Matinpalo was held off the scoresheet but logged over 17 minutes of ice time.
Host Switzerland awaits the winner of the Canada-Finland game. They had a ridiculously easy time of it in their semifinal, pounding Norway 6-0. The Norwegians impressed at this tournament, finishing second behind Canada in Group B at 4-1-1-1.
But Switzerland has been a powerhouse at this tournament.
They've clinched at least the silver medal, going 9-0 so far, and they'll certainly have their hands full in the final no matter who wins the other semi on Saturday.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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